Le Film

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Jojo, a young German boy living in the midst of WWII, is faced with a dilemma when he discovers that his mother is protecting a young Jewish girl in their attic. His entire worldview is put into question; should he hold onto the blind, unyielding worldview that his country has instilled within him since birth or should he dismantle it and start anew?
 
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit serves as a modern day satire and forewarning against fascism and blind nationalism, where the story depicts how messages of hate and intolerance can take root and thrive in the most fertile grounds of consciousness: fear.
 
We are joined by a very special guest and friend of the show, Abi, and we hope you listen in and enjoy our discussion on this compelling and fresh tale, where acceptance, compassion, and understanding are of the utmost importance. As always, thank you for listening.
 
Where to watch:
HBO Max (Stream)
YouTube (Buy)
Amazon (Buy)
 
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Before Sunrise (1995)

The year is 1994, and Summer is just around the bend in Vienna. A train is preparing to depart from its station, with its next stop arriving in Paris. Inside, a visiting American named Jesse offers a proposal to a French woman, Céline, whom he had recently met; to disembark from the train and spend the day with him before he has to fly back to the United States the following morning.
 
Richard Linklater’s 1995 romantic drama, Before Sunrise, serves as an exploration of ideas that surround life and love through conversations held between two people as a result of a chance encounter. As day fades into night, so too do their social barriers; what they are left with is the shared experience of attempting to know and understand one another in the remaining time they have left.
 
This is the first installment of The Before Trilogy and whether it is watched alone or with others, it is sure to conjure thought and discourse on the broad concepts that are discussed along with the quieter moments that peddle between romanticism and cynicism. As always, thanks for listening.
 
Where to watch:
Amazon (Rent or Stream)
YouTube (Rent or Buy)
 
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Send us your film recommendations:
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The Hunt (2012)

We arrive during the shifting of the seasons in a small Danish town, where the local townsfolk go about their daily lives in preparation of Winter. Lucas, a former teacher, makes the most of this difficult transitional period in his life by serving as a beacon of light at the local daycare center he works at, maintaining social connections that he holds dearly, and by holding out for hope that he may one day gain custody of his son.
 
Thomas Vinterberg’s 2012 drama, The Hunt, serves as a modern day witch hunt that is turned on its head by exploring the repercussions and ripples that emanate throughout the town in the wake of an innocent lie. Prejudice, local vigilantism, and the illusory truth find themselves at odds in this turbulent take on the relativity of morality and justice.
 
Join in on the discussion, and as always, thanks for listening.
 
Where to watch:
YouTube (Rent or Buy)
Amazon (Rent or Buy)
 
Follow us on Instagram:
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Send us your film recommendations:
lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)

The year is 1940, one year after the Spanish Civil War officially came to an end, and the townspeople of a small village in the Castilla region of Spain are left to pick up the pieces of their former lives to try and find some sense of normalcy under the newly appointed regime of Francisco Franco's Nationalist dictatorship.
 
A traveling projectionist arrives to showcase his latest addition to the town, a print of James Whale's 1931 film, Frankenstein; both a wonder and an anomaly to the villagers. In attendance are two young daughters of a former leftist, Ana and Isabel; and so we begin our journey into Víctor Erice's 1973 feature film, The Spirit of the Beehive.
 
Teeming with poetic imagery, vivacious sound, and magical realism, we follow the story through the eyes of a child, Ana, where she is free to roam the desolate landscape in search of answers that no one seems to provide to help her understand her newfound sense of mortality. A deeply poignant and moving take on what it means to experience, as if for the first time, the entwined nature of fascination and terror found within daily existence, and how we may struggle to hold onto our childlike sense of wonder as we grow older. Join us as we discuss this magical and sublime movie, and as always, thanks for listening.
 
Where to watch:The Criterion Channel (Stream)YouTube (Stream)
 
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Send us your film recommendations:lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Waking up for the day, you take no notice of the changes around you: the same old weathered texture on the wall up above, the way the pattern on the drapes lets in small shafts of light every time the fan passes by. Rising up for the day, you get in the shower, and as the water pours over you a memory comes to you. It's a small vignette of someone who, against your better judgement, seems to fit right in; almost as if there was never a moment where they didn't belong.
 
On the calendar, you notice the year is 2029 and you look out the window to see the wide-sprawling metropolis in motion; you can't tell why, but you feel as if this has been your home for what feels like an eternity. You continue on with your day, yet as the hours wash on by, the memory seems to linger. Soon enough, you begin to wonder if it happened at all. You scour the depths of your mind in search of another instance in which this person or the place you were exists, but your efforts are in vain.
 
"There are countless ingredients that make up the human body and mind, like all the components that make up me as an individual with my own personality. Sure, I have a face and voice to distinguish myself from others, but my thoughts and memories are unique only to me, and I carry a sense of my own destiny. Each of those things are just a small part of it. I collect information to use in my own way. All of that blends to create a mixture that forms me and gives rise to my conscience."
 
Mamoru Oshii's 1995 cyberpunk anime, Ghost in the Shell, melds modernity with projections from the not-so-distant future in an attempt to explore the benefits and ramifications of technology's place in civilization. One of the most peculiar themes it explores is technology's role in the next stage of human evolution, and what effects it will have on identity, artificial intelligence, and consciousness.
 
With hardly a second wasted in its 83 minute runtime, this film moves with lighting quick precision and does not let up in its never-ending flow of information, which feels all the more fitting given the subject matter. This one is best-suited to multiple viewings, as many of the key elements, details, and points of discussion can be overtaken by the film's unrelenting pace. Join us as we try our best to tackle a few of the themes that this story presents.
 
Where to watch:Amazon (Stream with Prime, Rent, or Buy)iTunes (Rent or Buy)Google Play (Rent or Buy)Vudu (Rent or Buy)
 
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Send us your film recommendations:lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

The Half of It (2020) Ft. Kalidale Navarro-Diaz

"Love isn't patient, and kind, and humble. Love is messy, and horrible, and selfish, and bold. It's not finding your perfect half. It's the trying, and reaching, and failing."And so we find ourselves in the fictional town of Squahamish, a town like any other in the Pacific Northwest, where lives are predetermined to take root and fall by the wayside to comfort and normalcy.The year is 2020 and we are still nowhere near finding a satisfying answer to humanity's insatiable desire for wholeness. Philosophical texts and witticisms line the bedrock to Alice Wu's feature film, The Half of It, where our protagonist, Ellie Chu, searches for her own answer to the riddle that always seems to be just out of reach.Tender, lighthearted, and curious in its approach, this is a story that attempts to extend beyond the antiquated quest for searching for wholeness in the other, and attempts to find it within itself.This week, we are joined by our very first guest and friend of the show. We hope you enjoy our discussion, and, as always, thank you for listening.Where to watch:Netflix (Stream)Follow us on Instagram:@lefilmpodcastSend us your film recommendations:lefilmpodcast@gmail.com

Confessions (2010)

Walking into class, the old familiar chatter and disruption from the classmates around you fills your ears and slowly resembles the white noise that rests in the background of your senses. Sitting down, you look out the window and see the steady downpour of rain caressing the glass.
 
The door closes, you look ahead and see the teacher placing her bag on her desk. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. You look around, a baseball is thrown from the back of the room at a kid beside you, laughter erupts all around you. The teacher opens her eyes. A cold, faint smile tugs at her face; no one else sees this but you.
 
An exercise in style, precision, and conviction, Tetsuya Nakashima's 2010 feature film, Confessions, can easily be labeled as a revenge movie, but we're here to tell you that it subverts expectations and transcends the limits of the genre by openly expressing its views on taboo subject matter, societal norms, and humanity's shortcomings.
 
Cold, calculating, and unflinching; this movie is sure to offer a unique perspective that wages war on naivety, ignorance, and passivity. Join in on the discussion. As always, thanks for listening and feel free to share your film recommendations with us!
 
*Spoilers around 30:00*
 
Where to watch:
Unfortunately, at this time, this movie isn't available to stream through normal means. So... uh... you might be able to find it somewhere if you take a gander.
 
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Skate Kitchen (2018)

In the sunny, suburban streets of Long Island, New York, a young woman carves her wheels into the pavement; an ollie here, a kickflip there, and a desire to fill the spaces in-between with something more, something substantial.
 
In 2016, Crystal Moselle befriended a group of skateboarding women in New York City, and through the unique set of circumstances, developed into a creative partnership that would eventually land the group a show on HBO, entitled Betty (2020). What would ultimately propel the group to where they are now would be the precursor to it all; Moselle's first narrative created with the collective: 2018's Skate Kitchen.
 
With a blend of organic imagery, authentic chemistry, and genuine heart, this film follows the path of Camille, a young woman in search of a place that she can call her own; where she does not have to fit into the mold of what her family, friends, and society pressures her to be.
 
This film proves to be unlike any other in the skateboarding genre of films; it subverts expectations, approaches the genre with a poetic voice, and explores modern issues with a sense of earnest curiosity and virtuousness.
 
*Spoilers around 49:00*
 
Where to watch:
Hulu (Stream US)
Vudu (Rent or Buy)
iTunes (Rent or Buy)
Google Play (Rent or Buy)
Amazon (Rent or Buy)
 
Follow us on Instagram:
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Send us your film recommendations:
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Top Secret! (1984)

“Life is filled with it's little miseries, each of us in his own way must learn to deal with adversity in a mature and adult fashion." So says one of the characters of 1984's Top Secret before jumping out of a window.
 
This week, we switch it up a bit and take a nosedive into an amalgamation of WWII resistance films, beach parties, and good old fashioned rock 'n' roll. Written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker (the same team behind Airplane!), this movie is filled with a combination of unrelenting jokes and insanity for 90 minutes straight.
 
East Germany is on the rise and it's up to American pop sensation, Nick Rivers, to not only put his European tour on hold, but to join the underground resistance and put an end to tyranny once and for all.
 
*Spoilers around 15:00*
 
Where to watch:
Vudu (Rent or Buy)
iTunes (Rent or Buy)
Google Play (Rent or Buy)
Amazon (Rent or Buy)
 
Follow us on Instagram:
@lefilmpodcast
 
Send us your film recommendations:
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Dogville (2003)

"All I see is a beautiful little town in the midst of magnificent mountains. A place where people have hopes and dreams even under the hardest conditions."
 
Much like our central character Grace, so too do we arrive at the last town the road has to offer. Made up of less than 15 citizens, what Dogville lacks in resources, it makes up for in character and unity, at least that's what the townsfolk tell themselves. Lars von Trier's 2003 feature film, Dogville, wrestles with themes of totalitarianism, corruption, acceptance, judgment, redemption, misanthropy, and the essence of human nature.
 
Paired with an episodic timeline, an omniscient narrator, and theatrical elements that create a unique amalgamation of minimalism that feels all the more immersive, Dogville shines in both its fearlessness and vulnerability which allows the story to take center stage and give proper space to explore its themes and to stir up discourse in the lives of its viewers.
 
*Spoilers around 28:00*
 
Where to watch:
YouTube (Rent or Buy)
Vudu (Rent or Buy)
iTunes (Rent or Buy)
Google Play (Rent or Buy)
Amazon (Rent or Buy)
 
Follow us on Instagram:
@lefilmpodcast
 
Send us your film recommendations:
lefilmpodcast@gmail.com